“I think the frontrunner right now is New York, Madison Square Garden, because that’s the middle ground with the time difference,” Oliver said to talkSPORT Boxing. “The paymasters behind this, which is Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season, they want that fight to be a massive event for the international markets because of the money that both guys are getting paid.”
The panel questioned how much appetite remains in the United States after both heavyweights produced shaky performances in their recent comeback bouts. Oliver agreed the point was valid before explaining why the American market still holds major value.
He cited Zuffa Boxing’s expansion plans, efforts to rebuild boxing’s audience in the United States, and the possibility of a Netflix partnership as reasons the fight makes financial sense outside Britain. Ryan Garcia’s September bout against Conor Benn was mentioned as another event aimed at drawing American fans back to the sport.
The conversation then shifted to Anthony Joshua’s preference for Wembley Stadium. Oliver said British fans deserve to see the fight at home, but believes the size of the investment means business will ultimately dictate the venue.
“The British public, the British boxing fans deserve it here in the UK, and I think that’s Anthony Joshua’s stance. He wants it to be at Wembley, but it’s ultimately a business, isn’t it? There’s a lot of money being invested in this. It has to go where the fight has to go,” said Oliver.
Host Adam Catterall then suggested a New York fight in November followed by a Wembley rematch next spring. Oliver laughed and replied that the scenario sounded “pretty near the mark,” while insisting he had no inside information.
